


Obelisk of Blood

by JamesNightlock



Series: Hendira Chronicles [1]
Category: CBA - Fandom
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-16
Updated: 2018-10-17
Packaged: 2019-08-03 02:49:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16317698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JamesNightlock/pseuds/JamesNightlock
Summary: It has been five years since the Kingdom of Waleska was plunged into chaos after the massacre of the royal family, the other Kingdoms planning to instill Princess Geneivie of the Kingdom of Hendria onto the throne to try and restore peace to the now ravaged land of Waleska. What they thought ended with the death of Waleska's royal family has truly only just begun - a darkness encroaching on everything they hold dear.





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Damon (P.O.V.)

“We’re here.” Genevieve looks at the crystals hanging from the entrance of the cave, her eyes bright as she turns to look at me.  
“Be careful. Once you enter, there is no undoing your actions.” A man steps forward, clad in all white. He looks from Genevieve to me, frowning. “Are you sure you all want to go through with this?” Suddenly I feel the presence of several other people behind me, my body staying still as I continue to look at the man in white.  
“Yes. We need to go through here if we’re going to survive.” A woman speaks from somewhere behind me, her voice foreign to my ears. Genevieve looks past me and nods, looking back to the man in white.  
“We’re grateful for all you and Seer Douglas have done for us, once this is all over we will make sure you both are protected.” The man in white offers a tight smile before bowing and walking past me.  
“Good luck, Mother Katie… I hope you know what you’re doing.” I try to turn to face where the man in white stands but my muscles stay still as a woman, Mother Katie, whispers something. Genevieve takes a step towards me, putting a hand on my shoulder.  
“Don’t worry, we’re closer to getting to him now.” 

¤ ¤ ¤

I wake up to my heart aching, as if I lost someone important to me. Light shines through the space between the flaps of the tent, voices coming faintly from outside. I stare down at the grass as my dream runs through my mind, the details already beginning to fall through my fingers. I flip open my notebook and write down all the details I can still remember, the crystal cave still clear in my mind.  
“Sir? Are you awake?” I write the last details of the dream down and close the notebook before standing and walking to the front of the tent. Atlas steps back as I pull the flap back and step outside. I nod at the two guards standing on either side of the tent entrance.  
“What’s the report?” Atlas smiles and leads me towards the top of the hill, three other soldiers following close behind us. Soldiers move quickly as the sun’s effect begins to fully set in. A fireball flies over the top of the hill, three others quickly following after it as the trebuchets wake up.  
“The enemy has made no movement through the night time, it seems they plan to fight ‘till the very last man.” I stay silent as we reach the top of the hill, the hillside swarming with soldiers as they move into position. “The army is almost done setting up in their formations for the assault on the enemy.” Atlas motions to the soldiers below, their armor shining in the morning light.  
“Where’s Chloe?” I search for her in the river of battalions, frowning slightly.  
“She’s overseeing the right flank by the tree-line, she insisted on personally making sure they were all in formation in case some enemy units were planning to attack from the forest.” I nod, biting the inside of my lip as I look across the valley to the enemy encampment.  
“Send someone to Chloe, I want her to split the right flank into two. One of the groups will move through the forest towards the enemy so that they can strike the enemies’ left flank, I’d like her to command this group. The other will stay to guard the right flank as we begin our assault.” One of the soldiers runs off, Atlas looking out towards where the enemy lies in wait.  
“They’ll be expecting us to attack their flank, just as we were.”  
“Yes, but they don’t have a Chloe defending their left flank.” He chuckles and nods as four fireballs fly past us, exploding and raining fire down onto the enemy. “Have the assault begin, we don’t need to wait any longer.” Atlas and the two other soldiers move down the hill, a soldier bringing Atlas a horse as they move towards the main force. I turn around and move back towards the tents as Atlas orders the troops to begin their attack, the army marching across the field.  
“This is quite the show you put on for us.” I smile at Christian and Lily as she waves me over to their tent. Lily shifts her dress around as she crosses her legs, her brown hair falling down past her shoulders as she moves it in front of her shoulder.  
“Had to make sure that your visit to Hendria wasn’t dull.” Christian laughs and looks towards the top of the hill, his green eyes gleaming in the light.  
“It certainly isn’t, though should a prince be standing right in the line of fire?” I shrug and pull up a seat in front of Christian and Lily.  
“If I don’t stand in the line of fire, why should I expect my soldiers to do the same?” He nods and leans back in his chair, his eyes bright.  
“Every time I ask that you always give the same answer, don’t you ever get tired of repeating yourself?”  
“Do you ever get tired of asking the same question, brother?” Christian rolls his eyes as Lily hits his arm, smiling as she turns back to me.  
“I have to admit, Genevieve said that it was interesting to be on the battlefield with you but I did not know she meant this interesting.” I lean back as the sun becomes covered by clouds.  
“Nothing about this is all that unique, I’m sure if you ask my sister anything she will give you an over exaggeration.” Lily smiles wide and glances at Christian before leaning forward.  
“I’d be careful, you’re talking about Christian’s future wife.” We laugh as Christian’s face grows red, his eyes glued to the grass at his feet.  
“My sister has a fire inside of her, my friend, so you best be careful about trying to court her.” He nods as he continues to look at the ground, Lily continuing to laugh as she looks at him. Lily’s face goes white as the ground begins to shake, a roar coming from the battlefield. I stand up and smile tightly towards Lily and Christian.  
“Is that a dragon?”  
“Seems so, if you’ll excuse me.” I bow to the both of them before setting the seat to the side. “I must attend to the dragon now.” Amelia rides towards me as I make my way up the hill, another horse following close behind her.  
“Looks like things got a little more exciting, huh?” I nod and jump onto the horse, a spear forming in Amelia’s hand as we ride up the hill. “It was Chloe’s group that encountered the dragon, apparently the fuckers kept it in an underground cavern beneath where they were set up.”  
“Which is why they didn’t move the whole night, they wanted to make sure the dragon was fully protected.”  
“Seems so.” We stop as we reach the top of the hill, the field a mesh of soldiers as the two armies clash violently. The dragon flies above the forest, fire raining down into the trees. “I was originally with Chloe, but Kai sent me back here to inform you that the only thing they’re fighting over there is the dragon. Apparently, all the soldiers fled once they released the dragon.”  
“Makes sense, they had no intention of fighting face-to-face.” She nods and spins her spear in her hand, smiling.  
“Are you charging in?” I smile and nod, both of us moving down the hill at the same time. Dark clouds swirl above the main concentration of soldiers, lighting striking a large group of soldiers. “Mason looks like he is having fun down there.” More bolts of lighting strike from the clouds as we ride into the warzone.  
“Mind giving me a sword?” Amelia rolls her eyes and forms a sword in her free hand, tossing it to me.  
“Forgot yours back at base?” I nod and swing the sword into a soldier’s neck. Amelia’s spear flies through the air, connecting with a soldier’s chest as we continue to ride. The spear slowly disintegrates from the soldier’s chest and reforms in her hand as I swing my sword across another soldier’s back.  
“What are you doing here?” Amelia and I come to a stop as Atlas calls out to us, swinging his war hammer into someone’s skull. Amelia throws her spear as a soldier swings at Atlas, the soldier flying back as the spear connects. I swing my sword down at the soldiers around us, Atlas making his way towards us as he continues to swing his war hammer. “You know, it’s unfair to be using your powers in battle when the enemy doesn’t have any.”  
“Tell that to Mason, he’s firing lightning everywhere.” Atlas sighs and swings down into an enemy soldier’s skull. “I also think our magic is allowed when the enemy has a fucking dragon!” The ground lifts as a shockwave blasts past us, sending everyone into the air. My eyes widen as I begin to fall back towards the ground, the shockwave continuing towards the rest of the enemy army. Amelia’s spear flies past my head and connects with a soldier’s as she grabs onto me and spins us around, her back hitting the ground first.  
“Thanks.” She winks and pushes me to my feet as her spear forms back in her hand, immediately going into the stomach of a soldier. The dragon roars as it begins to dive towards us, opening its mouth to shoot fire. I dive and grab a bow from the ground, pulling an arrow out from a sheath on the back of a dead archer.  
“Amelia!” She looks towards me as I shoot the arrow towards the dragon, a smile forming on her face as a gust of wind makes it move faster. I pull out another arrow as the dragon roars again, the other arrow hitting it in the eye. The second arrow flies through the air as fire begins to come towards us, the arrow splintering halfway to its target. I pull the rest of the arrows out from the sheath and try to dive out of the fire’s path, pain shooting through my body as some hits the back of my leg. I drop the pile of arrows and fire an arrow into the side of the dragon as it lands. I quickly grab another arrow and aim for the dragon’s only open eye, biting the inside of my cheek as I take a deep breath.  
The arrow hits the dragon’s head as I am pulled backward, a soldier jumping on top of me. I swing the bow into his head, the soldier stabbing me in the arm with a knife. The bow falls on top of me as I cry out, blood trickling down my arm. The soldier smiles wickedly as he pulls the knife out of my arm and swings it down towards my neck. He is launched off of me as an arrow hits the side of his neck, knocking him to the ground. Several more arrows fly through the air and hit the soldiers around me, the dragon roaring as an arrow hits its eye. I turn as Elizabeth rides towards me on her horse, firing several more arrows into the dragon’s head.  
I push myself to my feet and pick up an axe lying on the ground, swinging it into a soldier running towards me. An arrow flies past my ear, hitting a soldier in the head. Elizabeth nods at me as she fires more arrows at the dragon, electricity firing off of them as they hit the dragon’s skin. Amelia runs under one of the dragon’s wings, cutting it open with her spear as she runs. The dragon collapses as Atlas swings his war hammer into one of its’ legs, folding the leg backwards. A lightning bolt strikes the dragon’s skull, several more coming down on the remaining enemy soldiers. Elizabeth rides up to me, moving up on the horse.  
“We need to get you back to base, get on.” I nod as Elizabeth helps me onto the back of the horse, firing a couple more arrows once I’m fully on. She whispers something to her horse before turning it around and riding back towards the hill. My soldiers watch as we ride away, Atlas calling for them to continue the charge.  
“Thanks, I owe you one.” Soldiers swarm past us as they collide with the last of the enemy, the field beneath us stained with blood.  
“Damn right you do.” I smile as I look towards the forest, most of the trees burned as the fire continues to spread. I drop the axe and push down onto the stab wound, the pain sinking in as the adrenaline dies away. The sun shines down as the clouds slowly disappear into the distance, a gentle breeze coming down through the valley while we ride up the hill. “You had to make our base behind the hill, didn’t you?” I laugh a little, wincing as blood drips down onto the grass.  
“Not one of my better ideas, I’ll admit.”  
“No kidding.” I push harder onto the wound as we reach the top of the hill, Christian and Lily waiting for us. Lily opens her mouth to speak but stops when she sees the blood running down my arm, Elizabeth calling for Regina as she jumps off of the horse. Christian and Elizabeth help me onto the grass as Regina runs up the hill, four other people running behind her.  
“Let me see it.” Regina pulls my hand off of my arm, Lily turning away. Regina’s hands glow white as she presses them to the stab wound, the skin tingling as the light shines brighter. I thank her as she pulls her hands away, a scar now in the place where the wound was. She nods and helps me get to my feet, my arm still aching. “Obviously, don’t exert that arm or you’ll have worse problems. Got it?”  
“Yes, ma’am.” She sighs and walks off with the four other people, Elizabeth jumping back onto her horse.  
“I’m going to head back out there, make sure Kai is okay.” I nod and watch as Elizabeth rides down the hill.  
“Thought you said Genevieve exaggerated everything.” Christian calls out as Lily slaps him in the back of the head.  
“Not the time, Christian.” I smile and turn around to face them, gesturing to the tents.  
“Shall we get ready to head back to Urelia?” They nod and follow after me as I move back towards our tents, some beginning to be taken down. “I never got to ask, but how is the land of Frenico?” Christian shrugs.  
“It’s the same as always, we don’t have to worry about kingdoms invading us from our borders since we’re an island nation. Most of the ‘exciting’ stuff happens commanding fleets, not armies like you do.” The two guards hold the flaps of the tent open for me to enter, neither of them making eye contact with me as they stare ahead.  
“You began commanding fleets?” I stop at the entrance to my tent and turn around, Lily nodding.  
“He has, it is quite exciting. Mostly he has been taking on pirates along the coastlines, but it is truly thrilling the way he can command the ocean.” Christian rolls his eyes and forces a smile.  
“I guess all sisters like to overexaggerate from time-to-time.” I burst out laughing, Christian soon joining in as Lily looks at us with confusion. After a couple of seconds realization dawns on her face, her eyes narrowing as she lifts up her hand to hit Christian.  
“Save the hitting until we get back to Urelia, deal?” I manage to stop laughing, putting on my best smile. Lily frowns and nods, walking off towards her and Christian’s tent. Her two guards pull either side of the flap back as she walks inside, letting it fall once she passes them.  
“You choose your Holy Knight soon, right?” I nod and look at Christian. “You’re lucky that your kingdom is allowing you to choose a personal knight to be with you, Lily and I have ours assigned to us. Do you have anyone in mind? When I spoke with Genevieve earlier she said that she was thinking of asking Elizabeth or Amelia.”  
“I haven’t really put much thought into it.” I turn and enter my tent, Christian following after me. The guards let the flaps fall back into place once Christian passes, cutting us off from prying ears.  
“I can’t believe it has been almost five years since…” I stay silent as I begin to pack up all of my things. Christian quickly fills the silence, his voice strained. “My mother still gets choked up whenever Queen Taryn is spoken of… She helped raise Taryn’s children, you know.”  
“With all due respect, families are massacred every day. It has been five years since the royal family of Waleska was killed, we need to learn from their mistakes and move forward, not dwell on their long-dried blood.” I turn and face Christian, his neck red.  
“It’s different when you knew the prince and princess, instead of staying inside all the time and refusing to socialize with the rest of us.” I take a step towards him, the red filling his cheeks.  
“Remember who’s land you stand on, Christian. I don’t mock your childhood, so don’t mock mine.” He stays silent as we glare at each other, neither of us making a move.  
“I’ll see you at Urelia.” Christian breaks eye contact and turns around, walking outside. I sigh and turn around, moving back to where some of the things were packed up. I should probably apologize to him for that, I forgot they were close with Victorie and Laev… I sling the pack over my shoulder and slowly look over the tent one more time before stepping outside. Most of the tents are taken down, Atlas at the top of the hill as he watches his troops marching into back into the camp. Chloe moves out from the forest, Elizabeth on her horse next to Chloe. I move towards Atlas before Elizabeth or Chloe calls me over, ducking between marching soldiers.  
I try to ignore the blood all around me as I continue to move through the crowd, some soldiers missing limbs as they march to the few tents left. Atlas frowns when he sees me, jamming his war hammer into the ground. I glance back towards where Chloe and Elizabeth were, debating whether or not to turn around and face my fear or deal with Atlas’ wrath.  
“You can come out and say it already, don’t need to keep looking at me like that.” I turn to Atlas, Atlas taking a step towards me.  
“Are you okay?” I nod and hold up my arm, the scar seeming worse in the light.  
“Just a scar now, no need to worry about me.” He picks up his war hammer and points it at me, narrowing his eyes.  
“Sorry, but you’re the prince of Hendria – I’d be acting the same if Genevieve was here and charged head-on into battle.” My mouth stays shut as I look past Atlas, the field below littered with bodies and charred ground. The dragon looks small from this distance, more like a rock than an actual creature. “You’re going to get an earful back at Urelia, you know that right?” I nod and look back at Atlas. “The king and queen don’t really like seeing their son come back with new scars.”  
“It looks better for the public if their prince has a couple of scars.” I shift the sack on my shoulders, my heart beginning to race at the sound of a horse coming towards us. Atlas doesn’t respond and looks past me, smiling at whoever is riding the horse. I turn as the horse comes to a stop, Chloe smiling at Atlas and I.  
“Good afternoon Prince Damon, and General Atlas. Ready to head back home?” I nod and force a smile.  
“Back to days of endlessly wandering the halls of Urelia, what could I be readier to do?” Chloe rolls her eyes and jumps down from her horse, scratching its neck as she stands next to it.  
“Sadly, we must return. The Res Bari Catol army was destroyed so there’s no reason to be out here.” I frown and look back towards the dragon.  
“It is worrying that they are growing enough to attempt an attack to our mainland, usually the Frenico deal with the Res Bari…”  
“Something must be driving even the pirates off the ocean.” I nod and turn to Atlas as swings his war hammer in his hand. “Something worth telling the king?”  
“We should, I don’t want there to be something that takes us by surprise. Especially if we’re going to be preoccupied with the Res Bari moving onto the mainland.” Chloe jumps back onto her horse as a horn goes off somewhere down below.  
“The march back home begins; do you want me to run ahead to get you both horses?” She turns her horse around, looking over her shoulder as she speaks.  
“Yes, please.” She rides down the hill, riding towards one of the many groups of horses. My eyes search the crowd for Elizabeth, it taking almost everything in me to draw my eyes back to Atlas. “How many died today?” He frowns slightly as he goes into his mind, tapping the tip of the hammer as he thinks.  
“The entire Res Bari army was killed, they totaled around three thousand troops while we lost around five hundred of our soldiers.” I look towards the forest, some of the trees still on fire from the battle.  
“Elizabeth!” I turn towards the voice, the air ice-cold as I stare into the mouth of a cave shrouded in darkness.  
“Do you see this Atlas?” He doesn’t respond as I take a step towards the cave, light beginning to glimmer from the cave ceiling as something shines on the crystals. I turn to ask Atlas again, a chill running up my spine as I stare back at the entrance of the cave. “Atlas?” I turn around again, the mouth of the cave smiling at me. The crystals begin to glimmer again from the top of the cave, voices echoing from inside.  
“We’re closer to getting him now.” I take a step towards the cave, the crystals growing brighter as the voices raise.  
“You don’t understand, she could be dead by now.” A gust of wind comes roaring out of the cave, throwing me backwards as a woman screams.  
“I will make you wish we slit your throat.” I push against the side of the cave as I stand, the ground beneath me spinning until it gives out from under me. I gasp as I grab at the darkness around me, my hands searching for anything to hold onto.  
“The pain will go away after a while.” My skin crawls as something touches my cheek, moving in a stroking motion. I try to push whatever it is away, my hands only hitting the air as the feeling slowly dissipates. The darkness around me erupts into color, my eyes shutting as the light grows stronger with each passing second. The air is knocked out of me as my body slams against something, my mind spinning as I try to open my eyes.  
“Prince Damon!” Atlas’ voice seems oceans away as I stay still, desperate to stop the spinning. I slowly push off of whatever I hit, the world too bright to open my eyes. My legs shake as they try to keep my upright.  
“What’s this from?” Air rushes towards me as the crystal cave erupts in my vision, thousands of voices screaming to be heard all at once. Atlas yells something again but it is lost as the voices begin to scream one word in unison.  
“Cadmus.”


	2. Chapter 2

Oliver (P.O.V)

Sweat drips down my face as I look around my room, the moon casting shadows through the window. My mind still buzzes with the name that what seemed like thousands of voices screamed through the shadows. Cadmus. The windows creak as a gust of wind blows against them, the room growing colder. I throw the blanket off of me and take a deep breath before moving towards the door. The wood of the door feels cold as the moonlight disappears, the floor creaking beneath my feet as I pull the door open. The Temple is silent as I move down the hallway, everyone else still asleep. In the darkness I see pieces of my vision, crystals painted on the top of a cave. I try to ignore the images as my legs guide me towards the kitchen. A gasp escapes my lips as something pushes me up against the wall, breathing heavily as they ball the neck of my shirt in their hands. I strain to see who it is as they slam me into the wall, as if arguing with me.  
“Who are you?” My voice cracks as their grip tightens on my shirt, two green eyes appearing in the darkness.  
“If you’re lying, I will rip your tongue out.” The voice comes from all around me, the green eyes coming closer. I try to stay calm as the person lifts me into the air, my feet barely touching the ground. My legs slam into the ground as the moon shines through the window from the ceiling, the person gone. Tears sting my eyes as I push myself to my feet, my stomach twisting as I look around at the empty hallway. A door opens somewhere in the shadows as I shut my eyes and try to steady my breathing.  
“Oliver?” I keep my eyes shut as Claire’s hand touches my back. “What happened?” She kneels down next to me, putting her hand under my chin so I face her. I take a couple deeper breaths before opening my eyes, Claire’s crimson blue eyes staring back at me.  
“I had a vision…” Curiosity sparks in her eyes as she shifts in front of me, removing her hand from my chin.  
“Do you know who sent the vision?” I shake my head, my fingers twitching at the thought of the green eyes in the darkness.  
“It wasn’t meant for me, it came in two parts – one in a dream, and the other moments ago before the moon came out again.” She nods and stands, holding her hand out to me.  
“Come, let’s get you something to drink and I’ll wake up Seer Douglas and Mother Katie.” I grab hold of her hand and manage to stand up, my mind racing with both parts of the vision. We stay silent while walking into the eating hall, Claire lighting a couple candles as I sit down at the table in the center of the room. “Are you afraid of what you’ve seen?” Her back is to me as she speaks, placing a candle in its sconce on the wall. I rub my hands against each other, pressing into my palms.  
“Yes.” She turns around and smiles at me, walking towards me and placing the matches down next to me.  
“So, something is coming then?” I shrug and turn around on the bench so I’m fully facing her.  
“Why do you look excited at the idea of something bad happening?” Claire ignores me and leans in, her eyes filled with questions and assumptions.  
“Because it was something powerful enough to lift you off of the ground. Visions, as Mother Katie says, rarely cross over into the Secular Realm. They reside within the Psyche, the mind. Why was this one able to break through that barrier that is believed to lie between the Secular and Psyche?” I open my mouth to speak but quickly close it as Claire stands up fully. “I’ll get Mother Katie and Seer Douglas for you, they’d probably ostracize me if I kept this from them any longer.”  
I watch as Claire hurries out of the room, unable to hide her excitement as she does. My fingers tap against the wooden table, the candles giving little warmth to the cold from outside. A chill runs up my spine as something touches my neck, my body frozen in fear as the feeling disappears. My eyes slowly move across the little light that the candles offer, the ceiling of the Temple barely visible.  
“What happened, Oliver?” Mother Katie holds back a yawn as she comes into the room, holding her nightgown close to her body. My body is able to move again as she sits next to me, resting her hand on top of mine as Seer Douglas and Claire walk into the room.  
“Claire speaks of a vision crossing into the Secular Realm, is this true?” I nod and turn to face Seer Douglas and Mother Katie, Seer Douglas standing next to her. Claire moves to the other side of the table and picks up the matches before moving to light the rest of the candles.  
“Yes, s-something grabbed me while I was walking in the hallway and pushed me up against the wall.” Mother Katie holds up her hand, her face like stone as she studies me.  
“Start from the beginning, there was something in your dream as well?” I nod and shift on the bench. My eyes slowly move to the floor as I think back to the vision.  
“It started in my dream, yes. At first, I was walking in a forest, one I haven’t been to before. There was something in the trees, something that wanted to kill me. Its eyes were watching every step I made, it was maddening. Soon everything shifted to me staring into the mouth of a crystal cave… I don’t know where I was, but there were other people with me, you were there Mother Katie – I only heard your name though, the people were always just beyond my vision as if they were standing behind me. No… Wait… I did see you, Mother Katie. We spoke to one another, I said that I had hoped you knew what you were doing… Seer Douglas was mentioned by one of the women in the group, she was thanking you for aiding them in whatever they were doing.  
There was an unbelievable amount of tension between everyone as they looked at the cave. It was as if their lives or someone else’s life depended on whatever lie within the cave. Then I woke up, right after I said that I had hoped I knew what you were doing. I was still able to see glimpses of the cave every now and again in the shadows, I was going to get something from the kitchen when I was attacked. Someone came from the shadows and pushed me up against the wall, I could only see their green eyes as seemed to glare at me from the shadows. I managed to ask who it was but the person did not say, they only warned against my lying.”  
“Your lying?” I look up from the floor and towards Seer Douglas.  
“Yes. The person said that if I was lying they’d rip out my tongue.” Mother Katie moves towards one of the sconces on the wall and pulls the candle from it. “They then lifted me into the air and held me there before dropping me as the moon came through the window.” She walks back over to us with the candle, moving past me and standing on top of the bench. “Mother Katie?” I stand up and take a step back as she begins to drip candle wax around the table.  
“Continue, Oliver. What else happened? Did someone send this vision to you or was it a something… else.” She doesn’t look as she speaks, moving the candle in a circular motion as more wax drips.  
“I don’t believe that anyone had sent this vision to me, it seemed like it was intended for someone else. There was also a name, I think, that kept being said – as if thousands of people were whispering it to me.” Seer Douglas moves in front of my vision, grabbing hold of my hand as he looks at me.  
“What name? What were they whispering?” Mother Katie stops moving as a hissing noise begins to come from somewhere in the room. I take a deep breath and force my eyes shut, trying to force the word out from my throat. The hissing noise grows louder as I open my mouth to speak, no one seeming to move.  
“Cadmus.” I open my eyes, Seer Douglas looking over my shoulder. Mother Katie glances at me before returning her eyes to whatever lies behind me, the hissing noise coming to an abrupt stop.  
“Is that…?” Claire’s voice trails off from beside me, no one opening their mouths to speak. Seer Douglas lets go of my hand and quickly moves past me, Mother Katie returning her attention to the candle wax dripping onto the table. I turn to follow after Seer Douglas but stop as the mouth of the cave stares back at me. Claire takes a couple steps towards it, looking back at me. “Did you…?”  
“No.” Seer Douglas puts his hand to one of the walls, the stone swirling at his touch. “It’s a manifestation of the vision, something it causing it to cross through the Psyche Realm and enter the Secular Realm. I don’t know what could cause this though…” He steps back and looks to the ceiling of the cave as it begins to swarm with crystal light.  
“Visions manage to break through the barrier between the Realms if someone’s life is in danger, there are other reasons as well but that is the main one. You said there was tension with the group standing at the cave?” I nod, Mother Katie moving off of the table and towards the cave. “They’re either all missing someone who is in this cave or one of them has powerful enough emotions to be causing a manifestation such as this.”  
“It was from the future though; do you think one of the gods sent this vision to us?” Mother Katie frowns as Seer Douglas continues to look at the cave. “I would agree with your interpretation that the emotion is what is causing this manifestation but that would more be with something happening at the present. Not the future. It must be one of the gods who have sent this vision, could it possibly be a warning?”  
“But from what god?” Mother Katie walks up to the cave as she speaks, running her hand across the cave wall. I stay silent as I watch the colors of the cave swirl through the air around her hand.  
“Could it be from the god of knowledge? Seer Douglas shakes his head at Claire, turning towards me.  
“Did you feel one of the gods’ presence during the vision?” I shake my head, the cave slowly beginning to disappear.  
“No god was there, there was only a feeling of emptiness and isolation.” Mother Katie looks over at me as the last of the cave disappears. She quickly moves towards the table, throwing the candle to the ground as she does. Seer Douglas stomps out the candle’s flame as Mother Katie kneels down over the wax.  
“Do you see anything, Mother?” Claire takes a couple steps towards the table as Mother Katie narrows her eyes in concentration. Seer Douglas moves onto the bench and stands next to her, staying silent as he looks at whatever now lies on the table. Did something happen to the wax? I strain to see past Seer Douglas as I walk up to where Claire stands, the wax now formed into something on the table.  
“What is it? Did something happen?” The room stays silent as they continue to look at the table, a gust of wind making the ceiling creak in response. A knock comes from somewhere in above us, the candle light no longer reaching as far as it once did. Claire looks up towards the ceiling, opening her mouth to speak as another knock resonates through the room.  
“Is something up ther–?” The word dies in her mouth as an arm reaches out from the shadows above us, the hand twisting around as if to grab hold of something. “Oliver?” She looks at me before looking back towards the hand, taking a step back as it continues to twist in the air. “This can’t be a vision, can it?” More arms begin to come out of the darkness, all of them moving in the same twisting pattern.  
“No… Have you read of anything like this before?” She shakes her head and looks over at Seer Douglas and Mother Katie, both of them continuing to stand still. Claire moves over to the table and stands on the bench, looking down at the table. Her hand raises slowly to her mouth, a small gasp escaping her lips.  
“Oliver?” I gulp and try to find my voice, the shadows above painted with the mesh of arms. I quickly walk over to the table and climb up next to Claire. The wood stares back at us, charred as if someone had put fire onto it instead of wax. I narrow my eyes to try and read the word burnt into the table, Claire leaning in to run her hand across the letters. “Did the wax do this?”  
“No, wax can’t do that. It looks like someone cut through the wood with a tool that was on fire.”  
“An Enchanter, maybe?”  
“How could one get into the Temple without us noticing?”  
“The same way the cave from your visions formed a couple feet away from us.” I shake my head and kneel down next to her.  
“No… I really don’t think someone physically did this.” She frowns at my words and looks up towards Mother Katie and Seer Douglas. “It seems like something from the Psyche Realm did this.”  
“But, how? Nothing like this has ever been recorded, the Psyche Realm can’t be used to cause things to occur in the Secular Realm.”  
“Tell that to whomever did this.” She runs a hand through her hair and sights, turning her gaze back to the arms above us.  
“They’re looking for something.” I look up towards the ceiling and watch as the arms continue to twist. Claire stays silent for a couple of seconds before speaking again. “Almost like they’re desperate for whatever it is.” We bring our hands to our ears as a bloodcurdling scream echoes throughout the room, Mother Katie now kneeling and holding her hands to her head. She continues to scream as the candle light dims, the arms moving closer to the ground as the shadows grow. I wince as I uncover my ears and try to shake Mother Katie awake, her screams continuing without end.  
“The blood of the land feeds the growth of the newborn!” I fall back as Mother Katie turns towards Claire and me, her voice distorted in its scream. Claire screams and falls to the floor, pulling me off of the bench with her. Mother Katie’s eyes flutter as she gasps for air, coughing violently. The candle light blazes brightly from each of the sconces, the arms retreating with the shadows until the whole room is blanketed in light. Seer Douglas gasps for air suddenly, barely keeping himself steady as he lurches forward.  
“We…have to…leave for… Larcos, now.” Seer Douglas continues to breath heavily as he steps to the ground, dark circles now under his eyes.  
“T-The capital? Why?” Claire looks from Mother Katie to Seer Douglas, as if waiting for one of them to begin screaming. I stay next to her and stay silent, my mouth seeming sowed shut.  
“We traveled…into the Psyche Realm, a darkness lies there.” Mother Katie stops as she tries to stop a coughing fit, Seer Douglas helping her stand.  
“Something is coming for the prince, we have to get to the Larcos to warn the royal family of this.” The name from the visions clicks as Claire and I scramble to our feet. Holy shit. Cadmus is our prince, why did that escape my mind during all of the visions? We follow Seer Douglas as he leads Mother Katie out of the room, all of us staying close as we move towards the front of the Temple. “There’s no time to pack any of your things, I’m sorry. The sooner we get to the palace, the safer Prince Cadmus will be.”  
“What did you see? Only a darkness?” Claire moves up closer to them as she speaks, pushing the Temple door open.  
“There was also a great structure, it went as high as the heavens…” Mother Katie covers her mouth as she begins to cough again, Seer Douglas struggling to keep her standing as we move down the steps.  
“Oliver, help me lead Mother Katie.” I nod and quickly move onto the other side of her, wrapping her arm around my neck.  
“The structure was surrounded by an ocean of blood, there seemed no end to its depths.”  
“The blood of the land feeds the growth of the newborn.” Seer Douglas stops as Claire speaks, his eyes filled with horror as he and Mother Katie look at her.  
“How do you know that?”  
“Mother Claire screamed it, her voice seemed inhuman when she said it.” I struggle to stay standing as Seer Douglas begins to walk again, moving faster towards the stables. No one speaks until we get to the stables, Seer Douglas having Claire stay with Mother Katie while we get the horses. The horses watch us lazily as we walk into the stables, Seer Douglas turning to me.  
“Lead the horses outside, I’ll uncover the carriage.” I nod as he walks into another and attach leads to both of the horse’s saddles. I manage to get them outside by the time Seer Douglas finishes uncovering the carriage, taking the leads from me and hooking the horses up to the carriage. Seer Douglas climbs onto the front of the carriage and brings it fully into the moonlight. “Get inside, quickly.” I help Mother Katie and Claire into the seats before climbing inside, sitting next to Claire as I shut the carriage door.  
“What happened while we were in the Psyche Realm?” Mother Katie glances at both of us, waiting for one of us to speak. My eyes slowly drift towards the window as Claire explains what we saw, her voice becoming white noise as I watch the trees fly past us. I push down the nervousness threatening to overflow and try to focus on something else, anything else. The moon shines down onto the world around us, seeming unaware of what happened inside the Temple and what news we bring towards Larcos. What will the king and queen think of the visions we have seen? Will they listen to our warnings or dismiss us like most of the Jaksian people do? I turn back towards Claire and Mother Katie, desperate to drown the questions out in conversation. The carriage shakes slightly as we hit a bump in the road, Mother Katie leaning forward as Claire begins to detail her theory on what was written into the table, all of us at a loss for what was the cause of this. I shift in my seat as I feel the arms twist in the back of my head, as if they occupy the darkness inside my skull.


End file.
